5.  The applicant was born in 1931 and lives in Veles.
6.  The applicant was the owner of a plot of undeveloped land, the total surface area of which was 558 sq. m (“the land”). On 30 June 1987 the Council of the Municipality of Kavadarci (“the Municipality”) expropriated the land. As stated in the expropriation order, the expropriation was carried out for the benefit of the Municipality and in the interest of the then socially owned company K. (во корист на општина Кавадарци, а за потребите на ООЗТ „К.”) in order to construct a storehouse (стовариште).
7.  On 25 July 1989 the Municipality requested, in non-contentious proceedings, that the Kavadarci Court of First Instance (“the first-instance court”) determine the amount of compensation to be paid to the applicant. The request was submitted after the parties (the applicant and the Municipality) had failed to reach an agreement on the issue.
8.  On 20 August 1997 the first-instance court ordered the State to pay the applicant the equivalent of 11,500 euros (EUR) in compensation for the land. On 23 April 1998 the Skopje Court of Appeal quashed that judgment and remitted the case for fresh consideration because of substantial procedural flaws.
9.  On 29 December 1999 the first-instance court awarded the applicant the equivalent of EUR 8,000 in compensation for the expropriated land (558 sq. m). It ordered that the compensation was to be paid by a company, M.K., the successor to the company K., and by the State. The former was ordered to pay compensation for the part of the land it had used, and the latter to pay compensation for the remainder, which had been reserved for the construction of a public road. The court further dismissed the claim against the Municipality, finding that it had no requisite standing to be sued (недостаток на пасивна легитимација). On 20 April 2000 the Skopje Court of Appeal allowed the appeals lodged by the State and the company M.K. and remitted the case for renewed examination. It held that insolvency proceedings were pending against the company M.K. and that any claims should be established in those proceedings. It further found that the lower court had incorrectly established that the State should pay compensation.
10.  On 11 December 2001 the first-instance court ordered that the Municipality was to pay compensation, which amount was set at approximately EUR 9,000, since the 1987 expropriation order had identified it as the beneficiary of the expropriation. It dismissed the claim as regards the State and the company M.K. for lack of requisite standing to be sued. On 27 February 2003 that judgment was quashed by the Skopje Court of Appeal, which held that, inter alia, the lower court had not identified the final beneficiary of the land.
11.  On 27 May 2004 the first-instance court held that the company M.K.2000, the legal successor of the company M.K., and the Public Road Fund (Фонд за магистрални и регионални патишта Скопје), should pay compensation in an amount equivalent to approximately EUR 8,650, which corresponded to the market value of the land. It dismissed the claim as regards the State and the Municipality for lack of requisite standing to be sued in the proceedings. It further held that each party to the proceedings should pay their own costs.
12.  On 16 November 2005 the Skopje Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s judgment, with the exception of the costs, which matter was remitted for fresh consideration.
13.  On 10 February 2006 the first-instance court ordered the company M.K.2000 and the Public Road Fund to pay the trial costs incurred by the applicant.
14.  On 25 April 2007 the Supreme Court accepted a legality review request (барање за заштита на законитоста) in which the public prosecutor complained about the lower courts’ judgments. The Supreme Court overturned the first- and second-instance courts’ judgments and dismissed the order for compensation to be paid to the applicant. The court held that the company M.K.2000 and the Public Road Fund could not be held responsible for the payment of any compensation for the land expropriated in the interest of the company K., which had ceased to exist. The land had been State-owned developed land. The company M.K.2000 and the Public Road Fund did not therefore have the requisite standing to be sued in the proceedings.
15.  On 2 July 2007 the applicant lodged a request with the first-instance court against the Municipality, seeking determination of the amount of compensation for the land.
16.  On 11 September 2007 the first-instance court held that the Municipality should pay compensation to the applicant for 558 sq.m of land in the amount equivalent to approximately EUR 8,650.
17.  On 17 October 2007 the Municipality appealed against the first-instance court’s decision. The applicant lodged observations in reply claiming that the compensation had been correctly set and that the Municipality’s appeal should be dismissed.
18.  On 25 January 2008 the Skopje Court of Appeal dismissed the Municipality’s appeal and upheld the first-instance court’s decision. On 31 March 2009 the Supreme Court rejected as inadmissible the Municipality’s appeal on points of law.